These Three New Species Of Peacock Spiders May Be An Arachnophobe’s Best Friend

Thanks to a sharp-eyed group of devoted citizen scientists, three more species of disco-dancing peacock spiders have been discovered in southwestern Australia

by GrrlScientist for Forbes | @GrrlScientist

FIGURE 2. Living male paratype Maratus aquilus sp. nov., M. combustus sp. nov., and M. felinus sp. nov. performing courtship display to nearby female: A, Courtship display of male Maratus aquilus sp. nov.; B, courtship display of Maratus combustus sp. nov.; C, courtship display of Maratus felinus sp. nov.
(Credit: Joseph Schubert / doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4564.1.3)

Are you afraid of spiders? Most people are, but you might change your mind after learning about three newly-described peacock spiders, Maratus species, discovered in southwestern Australia. In fact, these tiny spiders are so adorable that an entire community of people from all walks of life have come together to devote time and resources to better understand them, making this a labor of love.

“I work on these spiders in my spare time after work hours,” said the author of the study, biologist Joseph Schubert, who pays his bills by researching a group of invertebrates known as Collembola (these are six-legged relatives of insects), at Monash University.

These new species were discovered by the citizen science group, Project Maratus

“These spiders were found by a group of keen-eyed individuals called ‘Project Maratus’, who actively head out into the wilderness and seek out new species of Maratus,” Mr. Schubert said in email. “They sent the specimens they found…